The Record: Goldberg on Tuesday

REPUBLICANS VOTING in New Jersey's U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday must choose among four candidates, all of them conservative, and none of whom have ever held elected office. The more well-known, mainstream stars of the state GOP have opted to sit this one out, perhaps a bit intimidated at the thought of taking on first-term, well-financed incumbent Sen. Cory Booker in November. The former Newark mayor, a Democrat, is perhaps even a stronger favorite than he was a year ago, when he defeated Steve Lonegan to fill the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg's seat.

Of the four Republican candidates on the ballot, our instincts point to the youngest one in the field, Brian D. Goldberg, a decorative concrete contractor from Essex County. Goldberg, whose focus would be jobs, is right when he says the nation could use a small-business owner's perspective in wrestling with the larger issues, ranging from federal budget deficits to the Affordable Care Act.

Goldberg, the closest thing there is to a moderate in this race, says he would seek to repeal the ACA. Still, he has reasonable views on abortion, saying his strong personal opposition would not make him come out in favor of a ban, though he would support waiting periods and parental notification for minors. He also says he sees "a role" for a social safety net, but that the long-term goal of any federal aid should be to create "long-term independence."

Goldberg's rivals include Jeff Bell, who lives in Leonia. Bell is an economic and political consultant who has been around Washington circles for decades, dating to the Reagan administration. He defeated Republican Sen. Clifford Case in a statewide primary in 1978. Bell would see the United States return to the gold standard and would launch major reforms at the Federal Reserve. He envisions a future with more cars on the road and less mass transit in use.

Another candidate who has plenty of experience in the economic realm is Murray Sabrin of Fort Lee, a longtime professor of finance at Ramapo College. Sabrin leans more libertarian than the others and would make the economy his top priority. Sabrin would phase out decades-old federal programs such as Social Security and Medicare and supports a more isolationist American foreign policy, citing that "we are not the policeman of the world."

The final candidate, Richard J. Pezzullo, who lives in Freehold and with his wife operates a computer consultant company, describes himself as a "full-throated, unapologetic conservative." He favors more deregulation and would like to see the Republican Party pull further to the right. He is steadfastly opposed to abortion, and also the death penalty. He is a supporter of more gun rights and would like to see unlimited financial support for elections with immediate disclosure.

In truth, ideologically, there's not a whole lot of difference among these four men. All are pretty conservative across a broad range of issues, from same-sex marriage to gun rights to Obamacare. We believe, though, that Goldberg, a small-business owner who understands the value of discussion and the necessity of give-and-take, is the best advocate for New Jersey Republicans in this primary race.